About the job

Job summary

Have you got an eye for data?

Are you excited by a problem-solving challenge?

Do you enjoy making customers smile?

If so, this could be the job you have been looking for.

You will be working as a part of a small, friendly and helpful Product Management team. We’re accountable for Content Cloud, a bespoke application that is essential to enable the delivery of quality management services in Environment Agency, Defra Group Corporate Services and Animal Plant and Health Agency. We have ambitions to expand the customer base to other Defra group organisations over the coming year.

The Defra Quality Management team is leading a transformation of how we deliver our quality management services through Content Cloud. This is an exciting time to join the team, with new products in development and the opportunity to get involved in shaping something new.

We work very closely with our sister team the Quality Management Assurance and Audit team which work to raise the standards of guidance and instructions used across the Defra Group.

Job description

The successful candidate will have experience in providing customer or technical support, will be comfortable with Microsoft 365 and have the ability to understand the needs of our user community, identifying improvements to enhance user experience. 

You’ll be the first port of call for our users, providing technical support for a bespoke SharePoint application hosted on Azure and PowerApps. You’ll support our users to diagnose known issues and provide solutions, acting quickly to escalate when needed. Communications are key as you’ll be keeping in contact with customers whilst working with colleagues and external partners to find solutions. You’ll ensure that issues are resolved and help us to build faith in a reliable service. You’ll be accountable for maintaining key product metadata so an ability to organise your work is essential. You’ll have an eye for detail and will support us to test new solutions to ensure they meet our quality standards and are ready for release.

You’ll be curious with an ability to find solutions to problems. You will need to have a willingness to learn about SharePoint, Azure, PowerApps. We will provide training and guidance, if you do not already have this knowledge. Our team provides an environment for individuals to grow and continuously develop.                                        

Person specification

As a Product Support Officer you will:

• Support users who have raised requests through our shared mailbox or dedicated helpdesk, escalating where required.
• Troubleshoot using documented guidance and instructions.
• Use SharePoint and other system tools to maintain product metadata.
• Use SharePoint and other tools to monitor the health of the content metadata held in the product.
• Support new users to migrate content to the product.
• Attend regular meetings with external supplier, maintaining your knowledge of changes to the system and continuing to ensure it works well.
• Maintain documented procedures, forms, guidance and instructions for Content Cloud users.
• Maintain PowerBI reporting tools.
• Quality assure the application, following user acceptance testing scripts and reporting defects.

Skills and experience

• Proven ability to communicate effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders and users.
• Experience of accurately analysing data and information.
• Excellent analytical skills, able to make informed decisions and solve problems.
• Be able to organise your workloads, prioritise actions and manage your time effectively.
• Be flexible with a can-do attitude to take on new challenges and new ways of working.
• Be confident with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to build exceptional working relationships with colleagues.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,136, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £8,676 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV (which includes job history and qualifications), personal statement and behaviour statements.

In your personal statement please explain what personal attributes, skills and experience you have that make you well suited for the role, in no more than 500 words.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted on the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sifting will take place 13-15 March 2023.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on behaviours, a technical skill (Data analysis) and strengths.

Interviews are currently scheduled to take place w/c 25 March 2023 but may be subject to change.

A presentation or other assessment may be used.  Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will receive the details of this nearer to their interview date.

New entrants are expected to start on the minimum pay band. 

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Location & Travel

The successful candidate will be based at Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH. This contractual workplace is the the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate.

There will be the requirement to travel to other locations for meetings or training.

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes. Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to DEFRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.